Fate of the Chocobo Eater
by Sailor Miniji
Summary: Yaoi WakkaTidus, and created on a spur of the moment. While trying to defeat the CE...MUAH 4th ch. up!
1. In Which We Meet Our Heroic Foe

*enter Miniji, the long lost author, wearing very Yuna-ish clothing while striking a Mushu-ish pose* …I liiiiiiiiiiiive! ^_^ *collective gasp rises from the few people who actually remember her* Yup, I'm back (for now, ne? ^^'') and have just been playing FFX and reading Wakka/Tidus yaoi. Which is what this is. **WARNING**: This fic contains **YAOI **otherwise known as **SHOUNEN AI** otherwise known as **SLASH.** You call it what you want, it still means boy x boy love. Ya? Ya. Also, the characters may be slightly OOC because I haven't played further than the Chocobo Monster part yet…grr…kuso youma refuses to die…but I shall defeat him! I will not let him shove me off a cliff constantly! VICTORY SHALL BE MINE~! JUSTICE!! *cackles* 

…Oh, one more thing…it's 40 minutes after midnight, I'm sleep deprived, half-starved, and have been eating cream puffs and tomatoes. You have the right to be scared. 

Wakka: *slowly edges away from Miniji* _ 

Miniji: Wakka-kun! Don't go! *glomps him* Besides, I have to tell the marvelous readers that I don't own Final Fantasy X! Other than my own wonderful copy…such a cute copy…aww… *huggles it* 

Wakka: O_o'' 

Miniji: Anyway, FFX belongs to its respective owners, as does Mushu. *pouts* Also, any comments and constructive criticism are quite welcome, whereas flames are not. Flames will be used to incinerate my neighbor's evil Doberman pinchers and wage war with the rebel clown empire. Muahahahaaaaa~

~*~ 

"Someone help! The chocobos!" The shrill cry resounded through Rin's Travel Agency and the deserted highroad. Wakka peered towards the direction of the agency, just returning from his early morning walk, and began running towards the sound. He shortly arrived at the edge of a steep cliff, the area where Auron, Lulu, and Tidus were fighting. Wakka headed towards them to help, but was stopped by a firm hand. He turned around to face Kimahri, indignantly shrugging away the Ronso's hold. 

"What'd you do that for, ya? I need to help them fight!" 

"Wakka not help friends. Yevon says only three guardians fight fiend at same time. Wakka wait to help." A slight red shade lit up in Wakka's cheeks; he'd known about that particular law of Yevon, but it was difficult for him to simply watch as his allies were battered by the gigantic foe. The three guardians appeared to only be weakly fighting back against the fiend's ferocious onslaught. Wakka stared particularly at Tidus; the younger boy had only just become a guardian, and was having a more difficult time fighting the impossibly strong fiend than the others. The youth's tanned face was grim; he was rapidly losing energy and his attacks only seemed to become weaker than ever as time progressed. Leaning slightly on his sword to catch his breath, he watched as Lulu attacked the enemy with a powerful fire blast, sending the fiend sprawling onto his back. Auron ran to the waiting group, calling for Yuna to go fight in his place by summoning her aeons. Lulu limped towards Wakka as the young summoner called forth Valefor, obviously having sustained a fair amount of damage herself. She sat on the earthen ground, catching her breath. 

"Would you go in for me?" she questioned the redhead between breaths, "If that fiend lives through the aeons, I mean?" Wakka grinned and gave her a thumbs up. 

"Yeah, don't worry 'bout it, ya? I'll help Tidus and Yuna, you just catch your breath…" He brandished his lethal blitzball and walked over to Tidus. The youth leaned heavily upon his sword, breathing ragged, and Wakka could see numerous bruises and scrapes snaking up his body from the monster's attacks. Wakka held back the sudden urge to hold the weakened guardian; he desperately wanted to relieve Tidus of some of the obvious pain that he was in, but the shorter boy could very easily take the action the wrong way. Wakka had been quite attracted to the youth, ever since the first time he saw him (which slightly disturbed him because he'd never fallen for a _boy_ before), and had made the point of befriending and protecting him. Wakka would have claimed that his close bond had been formed by Tidus' skill at blizball and his uncanny appearance similarities to Chappu, which had been true at first, but his feelings for the blitzball prodigy had been growing every day, until Wakka could no longer deny himself of them. Wakka reached out and lightly touched Tidus' shoulder. "You okay, brudda?" He asked, gazing in concern at the blond boy, "Let's destroy this thing quickly, ya?" Tidus stiffened, leaning less upon his sword and turning to look at Wakka. He didn't want his friend to think that he was weak; he needed to prove that he could make it as a guardian, not be protected constantly! He grinned wanly at his friend.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Doubt was etched clearly across Wakka's face, but before he could protest, Yuna's final aeon lost all of its energy and disappeared from the battlefield. The two young men ran back into the fight. 

"That thing's really powerful, huh?" Wakka stared in awe at the ugly creature before being smacked harshly by the evil being. He sat down sharply, cursing and rubbing away a small trickle of blood from his mouth. He looked to his left and saw Tidus laying sprawled on his side, obviously having undergone similar treatment. The boy struggled futilely to sit up, and Wakka crawled over to him. He turned Tidus onto his back and slowly helped him to rise. He vaguely noticed that Yuna had run back to the other guardians, ready to switch now that her aeons were powerless. Wakka stood up slowly, Tidus leaning fully upon him now that his energy was nearly spent. He heard a shriek from the area that Yuna had run off to, and looked up just in time to see the Chocobo monster rushing towards them, arms outstretched. There was no time to run; the fiend collided with Wakka and Tidus, forcefully sending them flying over the edge of the cliff. Wakka's mind went blank as he began to pass out, muttering: "Yeah, really powerful…" and falling into unconsciousness.

~*~

It's now 4:15, ya (played FFX for awhile too, heh ^^'')? Too tired to continue now, ya? This why Miniji over-tired, ya? *walks to her room and turns off the light* Review, ya? *plops down onto her bed, KO'd*


	2. Beginnings of Dreams

Dedications and et cetera:

Aria O. Will: I tried to write quickly ^^'' I might take a bit between updates since I'm not used to being a fanfictionist anymore ^^'' Usually either my best work or my worst comes out when I stay up late…hehe ^^ It's fun to experiment ^_^

Tansoku: I'm glad you like my story so far ^^ Isn't it amazing what things can inspire a person, like food? Hehe ^^ I hope my story's interesting…it might just be strange now though, because I wrote most of this chapter while trying to act like I was listening to my chatterbox science partner ^^'' heh

Mazianz39: Thanks for the compliment! I'm hoping to continue this ^^ I like the plot so far…maybe if I get into writing this story more, I'll write more fanfiction again ^_^ That would be fun!

Von: Sorry for keeping you waiting! I was grounded from the computer for a while…*sweatdrops* I'll try to update it more often! I'm not sure if I'll update it incredibly soon, however, because I'm going to Japan for a week and ½ , starting Thursday ^^ I'll have to write between then and on the plane. I was going to make this a longer chapter, but if I'd gone with that plan I probably wouldn't have updated until after I came back…my friend told me that I'd better simply post what I had, in case all of you got together and planned to murder me…heh *sweatdrops* I hope that you like this smallish chapter, neway ^^ Don't really know if it's going to be "heavy" or not…I've got a rough outline, but I'm also kinda making it up as I go ^^ I'm fairly sure that it'll be light for the next few chapters or so though ^^ It depends on what you mean by "heavy"… puuu…there might be some angst at the end, but nothing rated R or anything like that… ^^''

Yaoi Junkie: Yay! I'm so glad you like my fic so far!! ^_^ It was nice to read your comment, especially since I've read some of your stories…. Eeh, I feel like I should be the one to praise you! You're such a great writer ^^ Wakka/Tidus forever! Hehe ^^

mana: Sorry! I'll try to update more often!! Really! ^^'' If I start to update less just review or email me and tell me to stop being lazy! ^^'' One of my friends is mad at me because I've written chapters to stories, but have never typed them ^^'' heh…I have an evil habit of procrastinating…-_-;;

Okay ^_^ Now that I've said hi to everyone that reviewed so far (thanks! I love getting reviews! Hehe ^^)… on to the next chapter!

~*~

"Urgh…" Wakka slowly came back to consciousness, groaning slightly as his senses became clearer. A dull ache resonated throughout his body, and he coughed, clenching his fists. Each second passed with more clarity than the one before, and he opened his eyes. Vision blurred, he gazed towards his right at a fuzzy yellow object. He focused on it, starting when his sight cleared and he realized that the thing was actually Tidus' head. The blonde boy lay a ways away from him, partly on his side and partly on his stomach, still unconscious. Wakka groaned and moved to sit up, gasping slightly as a gash on his arm grazed the pebbly ground. He crawled over to Tidus, head pounding with headache and dizziness. Tidus' breathing was shallow, understandable as he was face down in the dirt. Wakka hesitated, checking the younger boy for broken bones (there were none) before turning Tidus onto his back. He winced as he caught sight of Tidus' front; cuts and bruises swamped the majority of his body. Imprints of dirt and pebbles scarred his face. Wakka unlaced his vest, folding it and placing it under Tidus' head to serve as a pillow. He checked himself for injuries as well; he had suffered a nasty cut on his lower right arm, and had notable more bruises than the last time he'd checked ('Probably from that fall, ya?' he mused as he looked back up at the rather tall cliff), but all in all he hadn't seemed to take much damage. At least in comparison to Tidus. Wakka sighed and grabbed a small medical pouch from his pocket; he had a lot of healing to acomplish.

~Tidus' Dream~

Falling. They were falling. 'They? Who's they?' 'I don't know…' All he knew was that he wasn't alone. Tidus turned to see who the other person than himself was, but suddenly couldn't see anything. All was dark; his senses were clouded with shadows. "Where am I?" he wanted to scream, make himself heard, but he couldn't open his mouth. It reminded him of the first time he'd met Sin; everything was dark, painful, confusing, chaotic. Tidus squinted, having stopped falling for the meantime. He was in a dark expanse, the only light coming from a shadowy form in the corner. The form moved, growing larger and taking human shape. It started towards him, gaining size and brightness with each step. Tidus recognized the person as they loomed nearer, and he choked and started to back away. "…Jecht…!"

~Real World~

Wakka carefully fed the remains of the hi-potion to Tidus, making sure that the boy swallowed everything. He had cleaned and bandaged his own and the younger boy's wounds, and now that they were sure to not be infected from the outside it was only right to drink a potion to heal the body from the inside as well. It would make the pain and actual wound heal incredibly faster. Wakka drank part of a hi-potion as well, feeling his cuts and bruises begin to scab over and disappear as he did so. His body would be as good as new within a few hours, and Tidus' as well a while after that. Both guardian's looked sufficiently less scruffy after the treatment, and Wakka sighed in relief. His head stopped throbbing as he looked up at the cliff. A winding path climbed up the cliff from where he sat. It would surely take a full day to arrive at the top, not counting their ailments. The sunlight was fading through the surrounding trees already, and Wakka shivered as he thought of how long he'd been unconscious. Now that the day was swiftly meshing with night the road would soon be riddled with fiends. Wakka stood and stretched while gazing warily about. The place they'd been stranded on was open, vulnerable to an attack. They would need to travel further up the path to a more protected area to be able to rest and wait out the night. There was only one problem….

Tidus was still out cold. And judging from the slow rate that the boy's wounds were healing at, he probably still would be for a few more hours. Wakka sighed. He'd have to carry the younger boy, as there was no time to wait for Tidus to awaken. Even if Tidus woke, he still might have to help him walk, as it would be hard for the boy to carry himself far with his weakened body. Wakka knelt and lifted Tidus slightly, resting the boy's head on his lap as he put his vest back on. Then he scooped Tidus into his arms and stood up, cradling him gently. He began to walk up the path, slowly as to not trip over anything in the darkening twilight. 

~Tidus' Dream~

He tried to run, escape from his old man. But no matter how fast he ran, Jecht was always faster. Jecht always won. Tidus cursed; maybe he'd never get away…. His father's voice taunted him, shouting, "I'm the best." Tidus slowed, hatred coursing through his mind. He didn't want to fight…not now. Not alone. He turned around to face his father; there wasn't any use wasting energy trying to flee from the inevitable. Jecht came nearer to him…Tidus could see the self-confident sneer on his lips, smell the all-too-familiar scent of alcohol in his breath. Tidus blinked. He mustn't be afraid. He had to stand up to his father, show him that he, Tidus, was worth something. He had to stop his old man; if what Auron said was true, that Jecht was Sin, he would have to stop his old man from destroying anything again. He mustn't cry. Jecht couldn't always be the best. Tidus swallowed and looked up at his father's face, feeling anger and fear obstruct his throat. But before either of the emotions could grow and flood his mind, a hand touched his shoulder. The hand stayed, seeming to symbolize comfort and protection as warmth radiated from it into his body. He remembered that he wasn't alone…. He turned and looked up at his companion. Tidus smiled, a childish warm feeling of protection smiting his anxiety as Wakka drew him close. Wakka wouldn't let Jecht hurt him. They could defeat Jecht together. His vision darkened as his sudden calm enveloped him, and Jecht disappeared. He was all alone with Wakka. His legs felt weak and his head throbbed as they gave out. His vision swam as if he was feverish, and he collapsed against the older boy. He was so confused. He felt drowsy as Wakka lifted him, feeling as if he would drift into sleep at any moment. Strong arms circled his body and held him up, and he pressed his face into a warm shoulder. He was so tired…he couldn't think anymore. The only feeling he had was gratitude towards his hero….Wakka was his hero, wasn't he? He had saved him from Jecht. He yawned, whispering a thank you to Wakka, and leaned up, pressing his lips lightly against Wakka's jaw. He closed his eyes, feeling Wakka draw him closer, and curled up tightly against his friend, falling asleep.

~End of Tidus' Dream~

~*~

I hope that that wasn't too crazy ^^'' I tend to write dreams strangely…ah well, I write them as I dream them ^_^ I don't think they're meant to be very clear and understandable. Sorry that it was kind of short! ^^ I'll try to write out the next chapter soon, but don't expect it for at least two weeks or so…yay! I can't wait to go to Japan! Hehe ^_^

As always, I love reviews ^^

See ya!

-Miniji ^.~


	3. In Which the Ugly Sod Dies

Gomen ne, minna-san! *bows* I had really hoped to get this chapter out sooner than this…but it's quite long, so hopefully that'll make up for the wait! 

Japan was lots of fun ^_^ I was able to buy two X/1999 manga (one for me and one for Aihoshi), and a huge yaoi manga-thingy ^__^ I would've liked to buy more…but I ran out of money! T_T And time. Sigh. 

Hi Sage! I never would've guessed that you were a fan of Wakka/Tidus o.O Wow, I learn new things all the time…. But then, I didn't know that you were a yaoi fan to begin with…so, I guess I had it coming ^^'' heh

By the way, this chapter has a slight hint of Auron/Rin… *cough* It was just too tempting to keep out! ^^'' *points at Yaoi Junkie* You can blame him for getting me into that pairing! Hehe ^^

Obviously (or so I should think) I don't own Final Fantasy X or any of its characters, and now that I've kept you here long enough, onto the fic! *hop*

~*~*~*~

"Tidus! Wakka!!" Yuna shrieked as she watched her friends fall over the ledge. "No!" She ran over to the edge, oblivious to her protesting guardians and the fiend looming near the cliff. It was too late to do anything to help, as the duo had already fallen nearly out of sight. The summoner stepped nearer to the edge cautiously, trying to spy a path down into the overlooking valley, but it was of no use. The cliff fell nearly exactly strait down from top to bottom (probably man made _). They would have to find a different route to find the two guardians-in-distress. Yuna shuddered, 'Tidus…he was so badly hurt before the fall…I hope he'll be okay…Wakka too…' the girl sighed and took a last look over the cliff.

"Yuna!" Kimahri's guttural voice split into her thoughts, and she realized with painful reality the situation she was in. She gazed quickly around for any sight of the imposing fiend, but was hoisted up over the Ronso's shoulder and carried away from harm before she could find it. A blush threatened to creep into her cheeks as she was set down gently after her ungainly escape, but she forced it back and watched as the blue catman and Auron ran towards the monster and began to beat it back once more. Yuna sighed and leaned against a nearby rock, and then turned to Lulu. The mage had used a potion on herself, and was now swiftly walking towards the battle to be an aide. The monster soon fell backwards, compliments of a fire spell from Lulu; Auron ran in and struck its unguarded body swiftly, directly followed by Kimahri's lancet attack. The force of the blows caused the beast to slide backwards, the abused grass glistening with sweat and drool in its wake. It forced itself upright, stumbling drunkenly before grinning sinisterly and pointing towards Lulu. Yuna shivered; it almost seemed like the monster had selected the mage as prey, mocking and daring her to escape. Lulu simply tightened her bangles in response, glaring at the ugly sod before letting loose a particularly nasty fire spell. The beast stumbled, teetering dangerously before regaining balance and swinging at the gothic guardian. Lulu dodged, leaving the monster vulnerable to an attack. Auron surged forward, shouting, "This ends now!" and stuck the beast with terrific power. The monster groaned in pain before stumbling back into the opposite side of the gorge. Pireflies soon rose, coloring the midday horizon with transparent rainbows.

Yuna hurried forward, casting cure spells on her three guardians. The four sheathed their weapons, breathing slowly returning to a normal pace. Yuna wasted no time; as soon as the other three had gotten their breath back, she ran towards the inn, calling for assistance.

~*~

Wakka started as the limp teen in his arms shifted and moaned quietly. He stared at Tidus, eyes widening in shock as the younger boy rose up and weakly kissed the underside of his jaw. A blush quickly engulfed Wakka's face, reflecting his sudden embarrassment at the situation. Seeing that the boy was still mostly unconscious, he held Tidus tightly and continued on his way. The kiss must have simply been caused by some dream, he figured. However, his mind continued to throw hopeful fireworks, and his blush stained cheeks refused to return to their natural color. He soon became very conscious of a warm forehead resting on the crook of his neck, and warm breath tickling his breastbone. He walked on, trying to keep a steady pace. What if Tidus had known what he was doing, but only used his half-asleep state as an alibi? No, he wouldn't do that…would he? Tidus couldn't possibly share his feelings, right? Right?

~*~

Rin hurried towards Yuna.

"I saw your friends fall," he exclaimed as he met with his four guests. "We must get to them quickly; the fall from this cliff is precarious, and they could be gravely injured." His expression was serious. "There is a path to the area that they have fallen to, but it is twisted and steep."

Yuna clenched her fists in determination; they would rescue Wakka and Tidus, no matter how dangerous the journey. She looked up at Rin, "How long will it take for us to get to them?"

"A day and a half, more or less depending on walking speed." Rin replied.

"Let's go," Auron stated, allowing Rin to take the lead before following him along with the others. The beginning of the path was hidden behind a large rock, and they walked single file into the opening. Rin led the way, holding back branches for Auron and warning of loose stones along the way. Lulu and Yuna followed him, with Kimahri following close behind. They walked in silence for nearly an hour before resting. They had become hungry, and the women prepared a make-shift lunch with the provisions that they happened to have. Kimahri sat above the four humans, keeping watch for any imposing fiends from a nearby tree. The four ate quickly in comfortable silence, enjoying the warm afternoon in spite of their imposing task. Finishing simultaneously, they stood and stretched before continuing on. Kimahri, having followed Yuna and the others, suddenly stopped. Yuna halted the others, looking in concern at the Ronso.

"Kimahri?" The Ronso held out his spear, answering her unasked question.

"Fiend approaching," he stated before wrinkling his nose, "Smell like raldo." He gazed about warily before the raldo appeared. It charged him, and he dodged the attack, pushing Yuna behind him. Lulu stepped in front of Yuna as well; guardians had to protect their summoner at all costs. Surely, Yuna could protect herself fairly well, but there was no harm in being cautious. Rin backed away from the fight slightly as he was unarmed and had little means to defend himself with. The raldo looked from person to person, trying to find the best place to attack. Kimahri rushed the fiend and slashed at it with his spear, but the attack did little damage, as its armor was extremely hard and thick. The raldo shook as if trying to shake off the discomfort, and then turned to look at Rin. The Al Bhed stepped back, alarmed, and rose his arms in a weak defense. The raldo rushed towards him, and Rin closed his eyes in expectancy of the impact. It never came. He looked up, just in time to see Auron finish slicing through the fiend and pireflies gather into the afternoon breeze. He found himself staring at the man, and then blushed slightly at the revelation. He stepped forward to thank him, but stepped on an unseen loose rock and lost his balance. He began to skid down the steep side of the path, but was saved from falling more than a few feet by a firm hand. Auron pulled Rin back up, the latter slightly speechless and feeling awkward. He finally looked up with an amused grin.

"Thank you, I believe that that's the second time in a row that you've saved my life." The red shade coloring his face grew slightly darker and he turned and began marching down the path again before Auron could respond. Auron simply stared after him before continuing after the Al Bhed with the others.

~*~

A short time passed until Wakka reached a suitable place to set up camp. He stopped and sat down carefully with his back against a tree trunk, still holding the unconscious boy. He gazed down at Tidus; the boy's wounds were healing progressively, though they were still deeper than his own almost healed ones. Within another hour, perhaps two, both guardians would be in fine condition once more. The younger guardian slept peacefully, his head still resting in the crook of Wakka's neck. It would be a shame to wake him now-there was no reason to do so. Wakka personally had no problem sleeping in the same position that they currently held, but as Tidus was sure to awaken within the near future, he would not look forward to explaining it. What could he say? 'Oh, I just thought that you might want to continue sitting on my lap?' Yeah, right. He carefully shifted the boy to a laying position, resting Tidus' head in his lap while he stretched out his legs. Should the boy wake, he would simply explain that he hadn't wanted to disturb him and that the ground couldn't possibly be comfortable (not that he minded having a blonde angel sleeping on him). Thus satisfied, he crossed his arms and went to sleep.

Nearly an hour later Tidus yawned, stretching lazily as he gradually woke up. He opened his eyes and was immediately confused; the last thing he remembered was being hit by the chocobo eater, and now he seemed to be lying in a dark forest on something soft. Soft? He looked up, becoming even more confused when he discovered that his head was lying on Wakka's lap. A blush immediately lit up his face, and he attempted to come up with an explanation for his situation. He got nothing. He turned a bit so that he was facing Wakka's stomach and began tracing little designs onto it with a finger. 'Oh well,' he thought, 'It doesn't matter.' He grinned secretively, 'Not as long as I'm with Wakka.' He'd been attracted to the older man for a while now, but as he thought that Wakka could never possibly return his feelings, and the fact that he was attracted to Yuna as well (albeit not as strongly as to Wakka ^^''), he had decided not to act upon his emotions. He had decided to form a close friendship to the blitzball captain, and flirt with him when it seemed inconspicuous, but to go no further than that and reap whatever satisfaction he could get. Tidus yawned again, feeling sleepy, and curled up against Wakka as well as he could in his current position. Should the other wake, he'd simply blame it on being cold. He smirked and fell back to sleep.

Wakka felt Tidus shift and gradually woke. He looked down at the boy, and was surprised to see that the younger guardian had curled up against his leg and was still sleeping peacefully. He smiled, 'Cute…' He leaned down, running his thumb over the boy's bottom lip. He then sat up jerkily, self-conscious. No, it wouldn't do to kiss Tidus. What if he woke? Now _that_ would be fun to explain. Not. Wakka sighed and looked up at the waning moon, deciding that he might as well get some more sleep. A rustling in the nearby bushes made him tense, and he gazed about warily. He reached for his blitzball, and held it ready in preparation for a fiend attack. He wouldn't wake Tidus…yet. There was a possibility that the fiend wouldn't attack them at all. Wakka started as a condor burst out of the brush, and he slid Tidus' head off of his lap quickly (yet carefully) and stood up to defend. The bird rushed him, but the redhead dodged-barley. He turned and hurled his blitzball at the fiend, hitting it and causing it to devolve into a cloud of pireflies. He caught the blitzball and turned back to Tidus, glancing about for the presence of other fiends. The boy was awake, startled out of sleep from the sounds of battle. He looked up at Wakka in groggy concern.

"What was it? Were you hurt?" 

Wakka sat by Tidus, "No, it was only a condor." Tidus looked vaguely relieved, but then gazed about in obvious confusion.

"Uh…Wakka, where are we?" Wakka smiled at the confused boy before explaining about the fall. Tidus glanced warily about. "Well, as we're obviously awake now, we might as well continue walking," He scratched the back of his head. Sure, he liked being with Wakka, but the others were certain to be worried. Besides, he was hungry and was starting to want to be back at the traveling agency. Wakka nodded and held out a hand to Tidus; Tidus stared at it for a second before realizing that the older boy was trying to help him up, and took it gratefully. He was beginning to feel the sores that still swamped his body, and once he was standing, he leaned lightly against Wakka. 

They had walked for about ten minutes before the younger guardian stopped, blushing darkly. He had only just realized that he had never let go of Wakka's hand. Wakka looked at him, and Tidus simply looked about while trying to seem both innocent and inconspicuous. His blush didn't seem to want to help him, however. He silently cursed his embarrassment and continued walking, not meeting Wakka's eyes. He felt his heart rise in his chest as Wakka's hand gently tightened around his own, and he glanced at him. Wakka met his gaze and seemed about to say something, but was interrupted by the squishy sound that could only mean the approaching of a water flan. Wakka let go of Tidus' hand, pushing the boy slightly behind him as he reached for his blitzball. He threw the ball at the Jell-O-like creature, but it simply rebounded, causing only little damage. Tidus rushed towards the fiend, sword in hand, but his attack seemed to be just as futile at Wakka's. The flan reared, ready to spit a water spell at the two, but Wakka pushed Tidus out of the way before it could hit him. The spell hit Wakka in the stomach, and he doubled over, momentarily winded.

"Too bad Lu's not here…" He gasped, throwing his blitzball once more at the fiend. Tidus started forward to help Wakka, but was stopped by a familiar voice….

"Burn!" Lulu cast her fire spell with deadly accuracy, and the water flan had soon disappeared into the darkness. Yuna ran to Tidus, casting cure spells on both him and Wakka. It was about midnight, and the girl looked ready to fall asleep in the next few moments. The others soon joined with them, chatting happily with one another. After a few moments, the group headed back up the cliff. Yuna stumbled more than once in the next half-hour, and eventually Kimahri simply picked up the girl and carried her. She was soon asleep in his arms, but the Ronso seemed to not be delayed in any way by this added weight. Tidus swung his arms while he walked, and every so often Wakka felt the boy's hands make a brief contact with his own. He didn't know if there was any hidden meaning to this contact or if Tidus had no intention of hitting him with his actions, but he smiled to himself anyway. Perhaps there was hope in this non-existent relationship. Perhaps. The group continued to walk in silence.

~*~

Dawn came and went, and the sun was well on the way of its daily tour by the time the group reached the travel agency. They were all exhausted (with the exception of Yuna and Kimahri, naturally. Yuna had had a nice long slumber in the Ronso's arms, and Kimahri…well, Kimahri had the ability to stay up for days without getting tired. Or had gotten used to insomnia [*cough* like the author _]. Or had had an excessive amount of coffee before traveling down the cliff. Or tea. Something. [Can you imagine Kimahri on a hyper rush? Yeesh.]), and they trudged into the inn. Rin spoke with his assistant for a couple of minutes before turning to them.

"We have a slight problem." The group perked up and listened, in spite of being tired. Rin looked concerned, "It seems that the crusaders have filled up my traveling agency, and his room had to be given away," He pointed at Tidus. "However, if one of you wouldn't mind sharing a room with him, an extra bed should be able to be put into that room for him to sleep on." Tidus looked around, wondering who would lend him a room. Auron wouldn't do-the old man would probably be a nightmare to stay with. Kimahri probably wouldn't be much better. And the girls? He could never ask to stay with either of them, the prospect made him blush while he was thinking about it. Besides, Yuna deserved her privacy and Lulu would probably burn him with a fire spell were he cheeky enough to ask. That left…Wakka. He felt his throat constrict once more as he looked towards the redhead. The blitzball captain grinned at him.

"Tidus can bunk with me," He stated, then put the younger boy into a headlock, "Just as long as he lets me sleep, ya?" Tidus fought his way out clumsily, face warming in embarrassment.

"C-cut it out, Wakka!" He freed himself and glared lightly at the redhead, trying to revive his dignity. Rin smiled.

"It's all settled then," He announced, "An extra bed should be brought up by nightfall." The Al Bhed glanced about, "But before we sleep, how about we get something to eat?" Tidus grinned.

"Right on; I'm starving!"

~*~

They had eaten a luncheon of sandwiches, an interesting red fruit called yuzu, and juice. Now that everyone had retreated to their respective rooms, Wakka and Tidus faced an interesting prospect. An extra bed had been ordered, promised to be brought by nightfall, but since the current bed was large and situated in the center of the room, there was no way for another to fit inside. Both guardians were exhausted and filthy from hiking and fighting, so Wakka decided to push the bed to one corner of the room while Tidus cleaned up. They didn't plan further than that. Tidus walked into the bathroom, stripped from his sweaty clothes and got into the shower. The water was scalding at first, but soon it became comfortingly warm, washing away the day's grime. He closed his eyes and let his mind wander. The water soothed him, and by the time he deemed good to get out, he was about half asleep. He sleepily dried himself off and clothed himself with his boxers and one of the inn's complimentary robes, and walked back into the room. Wakka had pushed the bed to the far side of the room by this time, and Tidus flopped onto it. Wakka walked into the bathroom, about to take his own shower, and Tidus snuggled under the covers. He knew that he shouldn't be sleeping, at least on the bed, since it _was_ Wakka's room, but he was just so tired…. His mind gave up protesting as he was overcome with exhaustion, and the boy was quickly asleep.

Wakka walked back into the room, nearly as tired as Tidus had been. He spotted the boy on his bed, sleeping, and a blush invaded his features. Surely Tidus wouldn't mind if he shared the bed with him, it _was,_ after all, his bed and it was large enough for both of them to have ample room. He climbed into it and slid under the covers, overly aware of the smaller boy next to him, but too tired to let his embarrassment do anything about it. He was soon asleep as well.

~*~

Rin knocked on Wakka and Tidus' door before opening it gently and peering inside. He had finally managed to find an extra bed, and he had simply gone to check with the boys before bringing it in. He spotted them, and then suppressed the urge to giggle. The two guardians were sleeping peacefully side by side on the one bed, cuddling gently. He smirked and closed the door quietly. There was no need to disturb them; he'd bring an extra bed if they wanted it the next day. Smiling knowingly, Rin walked off to his own room, prepared to delve into some much-needed sleep.

~*~*~*~

Whee! Wasn't that fun! ^_^ Review, review, shoo, shoo! I'll give you strawberries! And Pocky! Mmmm….

Now I'm never going to update, ever again!

April Fools! ^__^

What?! I had to do something to celebrate it, ne?! ^^

-Miniji


	4. Operation Mi'ihen: Part One

Operation Mi'ihen: Part One

I have absolutely no proper excuse for not writing in so long. Sorry! I've had this part in my notebook for awhile, and I hadn't typed it up because I didn't really have a muse for Operation Mi'ihen. I decided to post this little part in hopes that it will inspire me for writing OM ^^'' I hope you all enjoy it, even though it is insanely short.

~*~

"Mm..nyeh…" The morning sun shone directly into the eyes of a sleeping Tidus, and the boy rolled over onto his side in a half-awake attempt to avoid it. He bumped against something soft and warm, and did as his dulled instincts told him; he curled up against the object, basking in its warmth. The thing-whatever it was-smelled nice, and Tidus was contentedly drifting back into sleep when….

"Tidus?" The boy's eyes snapped open, taking in the situation. He was close to Wakka …too close. He lay pressed against the man's side, his face inches away from his companion's. The unexpected information proved to be too much for the poor boy's mind to take all at once, and he panicked.

"Yaah!" Tidus let out a surprised yelp as he shot his body backwards in an attempt to distance himself from the other boy. Leaping haphazardly out of the bed, his left foot became tangled in the sheets. Instead of making a valiant escape, he ended up sprawled out on the floor, limbs tangled with sheets and an embarrassed flush creeping down his neck. A disgruntled, concerned Wakka peered over the bed's side at him.

"You okay?" Tidus groaned, but then picked himself up and nodded in response. He had a crick in his neck, and he rubbed absently at the spot. Stretching, he noticed that he was still stiff from the day before. Wakka watched as the teen arched his back and stretched out his limbs, trying to rid them of the dull ache. 

"What's up?" He asked as the boy climbed up and sat on the bed.

"Bit stiff." Tidus answered nonchalantly, looking away from the redhead. Suddenly, he felt hands run over his shoulders, feeling for knots. "Wakka?" The blonde looked back uncertainly. The redhead looked calm. 

"Back when I Blitzed a bunch of the less experienced boys would be stiff after practice. We used to give them massages to help loosen them up." He noticed Tidus' incredulous look, and momentarily halted. "If you don't want me to give you one, I'll stop, ya?" Tidus blinked and shook his head.

"No, it…it feels good." He closed his eyes as the redhead's fingers began their steady trek along his shoulders again. They moved across his upper back, and then gradually moved down his spine. Tidus lurched forward as Wakka's fingers found a sensitive spot between his shoulder blades. The redhead chuckled.

"Well, what do we have here?" He pushed on the spot again, only to watch Tidus jump once more. The boy turned around, slightly embarrassed from the involuntary movement. Wakka grinned mischievously, and then turned back to his activity, ignoring the delicate spot. He lightly tapped his fingers around Tidus' neck; Tidus squirmed, trying to get away.

"Ah, ticklish, are we?" Tidus only laughed in reply. Wakka grinned before attacking the boy, his fingers digging into the blonde's sides. Tidus protested weakly, beside himself in laughter.

"Aahaha…Wakka…ha…stop it! Ow! …hahaha…" Wakka smirked, enjoying tickle-torturing his younger companion. Tidus gradually began to fight back, eventually succeeding in restraining the redhead. He sat on the man's stomach, pinning the man's arms to his sides with his legs. Wakka frowned momentarily, but then smirked as he pushed Tidus farther down and gradually sat up. Tidus yelped as he found himself in the man's lap, his mind blanking. Wakka stared into his eyes, fondly ruffling his hair. Tidus snapped out of it, indulging in an indignant squawk as he felt heat rising into his face.

"Um…" he awkwardly disentangled himself from the man's body. "Gotta go to the loo!" He sprinted into the bathroom, quickly shutting the door behind him. Wakka stared after him, and then at the previously occupied space on his lap. 'That was…interesting.'

Sighing, the redhead dressed and began cleaning up the room.

~*~

^^'' I think that that was one of the shortest things that I've ever posted. I've got a short vacation from school coming up, so I'm going to attempt to hog-tie my muses and force them to help me write. However, any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. 

Thank you! *bows*


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